1. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains to game equipment and more particularly, to game equipment that includes a ball rolled across the ground to a target or location and contacts other balls or objects.
2. Description of the Related Art
Bocce ball is a popular game in which opposing players or teams attempt to roll a ball assigned to them to a position closer to a smaller target ball than the ball tossed by an opposing player or team. The game which is played in multiple rounds, which requires players take turns tossing and rolling their balls at the smaller target ball typically located 30 to 70 feet away. At the end of each round, the player who tosses the closest ball or balls to the target ball is awarded one or more points. The rounds are repeated until a player or team obtains the designated points needed to win the game, typically 10 or 15 points.
Recently, illuminated bocce balls have been developed that enable them to be visible at night or in dark environments from a distance of 30 to 70 feet. U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,575,855, 6,712,721 and 6,723,013 each disclose a day and night croquet or bocce ball that uses a chemo-luminescent stick inserted into a bore that partially extends into the ball.
More recently, an battery energized illuminated bocce ball is disclosed in U.S. Utility patent application Ser. No. 13/546,396, ('396 Application) filed on Jul. 11, 2012, which is incorporated by reference herein. The illuminated bocce ball disclosed in the '396 Application uses an illuminated cap assembly axially aligned and partially extends into the ball's spherical body. The illuminated cap assembly includes an outer housing, and intermediate assembly, and a lower inner housing. Mounted on the intermediate assembly is a PCB with a multi-functional switch and a longitudinally aligned plunger. The intermediate assembly also includes a downward extend bridle with a downward extending LED bulb. Located inside the bridle is a plurality of stacked watch batteries.
One problem with the LED illuminated bocce ball disclosed in the '396 Application referenced above it uses watch batteries that are difficult to replace in the dark and relatively expensive. What is needed is an improved LED illuminated bocce ball configured to use standard, inexpensive AAA batteries that are easy to replace. In addition, because only LED bulb is use, the illumination of the ball is reduced.